Thinking creatively involves exploring new ideas, making connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, and generating unique solutions to problems. Here are some tips to foster creative thinking:
1. Embrace Curiosity: Ask questions and seek to understand deeply. Why are children so creative? Because they don’t know any better. They haven’t developed the inner critic yet telling them an idea is impossible. Need a creative solution? Challenge yourself to channel your inner child to gain a new perspective.
2. Challenge Assumptions: Questioning what is commonly accepted can lead to fresh perspectives. Ask yourself, “what if.” For instance, perhaps you are imposing parameters that don’t need to be there; simply ask, ” what if this weren’t true,” or ” if this were a perfect scenario, what needs to be true?” Take risks: don’t be afraid to experiment or try unconventional approaches.
3. Brainstorm Freely: Generate as many ideas as possible without judgement initially. Quantity over quality at first is the name of the game. Don’t be a bouncer at this stage – every idea gets in the club. Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to evaluate and eliminate ideas, but for right now, the idea is to come up with as many ideas as you can. Keep an open mind and be receptive to unexpected or unusual ideas.
4. Practice Divergent Thinking: Explore multiple possible solutions. Approach challenge from as many angles as you can. Ask for input from others to gain fresh interpretations.
5. Seek Inspiration: Explore art, nature, diverse cultures, or fields outside your own. It’s no coincidence that muses are found all around us.
6. Iterate and refine: Revise and improve ideas through feedback and reflection.
By cultivating these habits and approaches, you can enhance your creative thinking abilities and apply them to various aspects of your life and work. How do we get proficient at anything? Practice. Creativity is no different; the more you think creatively, the easier and more natural it will become.
Since graduating from Kansas State in 2012, Liz has gained experience from a variety of fields within the building industry. From drafting at a metal building manufacturer to working at architecture firms to assisting a real estate broker/developer, she has always had a passion for influencing the built environment. As an architect at Schemmer, Liz enjoys learning new things and refining her skills with help from other licensed professionals. She hopes to continue to shape the spaces and places around her in a positive way.